Electrical switch



Dec. 7, 1937. Q. DE FELICE 2,101,429

ELECTRICAL SWITCH Filed March 8, 1934 Patented Dec. 7 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE ELECTRICAL SWITCH Quldo De Felice, Devon, Conn.

Application March 8, 1934, Serial No. 714,625

3 Claims. (o1. zoo-9'1) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in alarms and provides a theft alarm or signal particularly adapted for installation in automobiles but capable also of being used in other places, as in a house, garage or the like.

An object of the invention is to provide an alarm or signal as stated and which is sensitive to vibration and includes a vibratable element adapted to set the alarm into operation on an automobile being disturbed by other than an authorized user. The signal may be set into operation as by an unauthorized person entering the automobile, trying to open its doors or remove some part of the automobile, or by starting the motor or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide an alarm as stated and which is of simple construction and includes but a relatively few parts compactly arranged whereby the device may be produced at low cost and be easily installed and is not likely to get out of order.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein a satisfactory embodiment of the invention is shown. However, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modifications as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line l--l of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the device;

. Fig. 4 is a somewhat similar view showing an adjustable mounting for a switch;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the alarm unit showing the casing, vibrator, and the wiring diagram; and

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a portion of one end of the casing showing the outer end of the cylinder of a dash pot employed.

Referring in detail to the drawing at it is 59 shown a casing, the rear wall ll of which is front wall H of the casing is removable and is adapted to slide on guides (see Fig. 2). It will be understood that the wall i4 may be slid to an open position by moving it toward the right in Fig. 5 and that if such movement is continued the wall may be removed from the casing.

One end wall it of the casing is carried upwardly above the upper or top wall ll of the casing and provides a mounting ear l8 to which is secured one end of a flat spring 19, the said spring being secured to the ear by any suitable means as, for example, the bolt 20. To the free end of spring Hi there is secured a member 2| and this member may be riveted to the spring as at 22 and at its free end the member is enlarged providing a weight 23. From this it will be seen that the spring 18 and member 2| to gether constitute a sensitive vibratory means or contact that will move up and down or vibrate when the device is jarred or shifted, and the same is generally designated as 24 for convenience in the further description of the device.

To limit upward movement of the vibratory device a stop arm 25 is secured to the upper wall of the casing and includes a portion extending over the member 2! and carrying a pad of felt or the like 26. Journaled at one end in the arm 25 and toward its other end in a bracket 27 is a short shaft 28, one end of which is bent to provide a hand piece or crank 29 and this shaft carries a pad to which also may be of felt or the like. On turning of the shaft 38 from the full line positions to the dotted line positions of Figs. 1 and 2, the pad 3t will be forced against the under side of member 2! and will crowd such member against the pad 28 of arm 25 with the result that the vibrator 26 will he held against movement.

Within the casing there is mounted an electromagnet 3i and such magnet includes a coil van end portion of cylinder t l extends through the rear wall of the casing and is externally screwthreaded for he reception of a clamping nut by means of which cylinder is secured on Ud in perforated as shown best in Figs. 1 and 6 and extending through said wall is a bolt or stud 40 on which is mounted a leather washer 4 I, a metal washer 42 and a nut 43. As shown, the leather washer 4| is adjacent the end 39 of the,cylinder and obviously on tightening or loosening of the nut 43 the metal washer presses the leather washer more or less against the perforated cylinder end. By this means, the capacity or effectiveness of the perforations or openings 44 in the cylinder end may be regulated to vary or control the rate at which air may enter the cylinder through them.

Within the cylinder 34 is a piston 45 to which is secured a piston rod 46 extending through the cup 35 and the inner end of the cylinder. At its end beyond the cylinder, the piston rod 46 carries a block or armature 41 and arranged between such block or armature and the cup 35 and disposed about the piston rod is a coil spring 48. From an inspection of Fig. 1 it will be apparent that the function of spring 48 is to tend to shift and maintain the armature 41 in a normal position spaced from the end 33a of the core 33, and that such spring will serve to return the armature to normal position when moved therefrom.

A switch 49 is arranged in the casing l and such switch includes a metal mounting arm 50 secured to the upper or top wall I! of the casing as by a bolt passing through an elongated slot 11 to permit adjustment of the mounting 50. Ann 50 is shown as in the form of an L and in its depending portion carries a contact 52 which is insulated from the arm as shown at 52a in Fig. 1. Also, carried by the arm isa somewhat L-shaped spring 53 riveted to the arm at 54. To the lower or depending portion of spring 53 is secured an arm 55 and carried by such arm and in fact securing the arm to the spring 53, is a contact 56. Movable contact 56 is arranged opposite the stationary contact 52 and the L-shaped spring 53 constantly tends to move the contact 56 into engagement with the contact 52. When the piston rod 46 is in normal position as shown in Fig. 1, its inner end is engaged by the arm 55 and the contact 56 is held out of engagement with the contact 52. I

Extending through the upper wall of the casing beneath the weighted portion 23 of the vibrator 24 is a screw 51 at its upper end, or at its outer end, carrying a contact 58. The screw is adjustable through the wall ll of the casing so as to dispose its contact 58 closer to or farther from the weighted end of the vibrator and the screw is secured in adjusted'positions by clamping nut 59. Through the screw the contact 58 is connected with the coil of the electro-magnet 3| by a lead 60 and the screw is insulated from the casing by a suitable hollow insulator 6|. A binding post 62 is carried by and insulated from the casing and a lead 63 connects this binding post with the other end of the coil of the magnet. Similarly a lead 64 connects'the stationary contact 52 of switch 49 with a binding post 65 carried by and insulated from the end wall l6 of the casing.

When the device is installed, the casing I6 is grounded as by being secured against a part of the frame or other suitable member of an automobile by any bolt or the like passed through the opening or eye l3. In Fig. 5 66 indicates the horn of an automobile and 61 the usual connection between such horn and any or the usual battery 68 grounded as shown at 69. The usual lead from the horn to the circuit closing switch usually in the form of a button switch on the steering wheel, is shown at"!!! and when the switch H is closed, the lead 76 is grounded at 12 and the horn will be sounded; This is the usual arrangement.

To incorporate the present device, a wire 13 is used to connect the binding post 65 with the horn and this wire 13 may be secured to the horn binding post to which the usual lead is secured. A lead 14 is connected with the binding post 62 and through a hand switch may be placed in circuit with a lead 16 to the battery. It is the present plan to have the switch 15 suitably concealed so that its location and presence is known only to the owneror other authorized operator of an automobile, or have it so located that it is accessible only from the interior of the car. When this concealed or secret switch is closed, the circuit through the horn will not be'closed since the switch 49 is held open by the piston rod which may either directly engage the arm 55 of said switch or may force another member into engagement with the arm.

When the authorized operator leaves an automobile equipped with the present means, he will close the switch 15. Thereafter, assuming the pad 30 to be in the full line positions in which it is shown, should any one disturb the automobile as by stepping on'the running board, trying the door handles, getting into the car or starting the motor, or attempting to remove a spare tire or some other member, the vibrator 24 will be caused to vibrate and will engage the contact 58. This will serve to ground the circuit from the battery through the electro-magnet with the result that the latter will attract the. armature 41 against the action of the spring 48 and cause movement of the piston 45 and piston rod 46 toward the rear of the cylinder 34. During such movement of the piston air may enterfreely into the forward portion of the cylinder through the openings in the cup 35 and may pass out from the cylinder through the openings 44 or past the piston 45. Therefore, the piston may be given a rapid movement inwardly of the cylinder. During such movement of the piston, the spring 48 is compressed, and a felt pad 41a prevents the armature 4'! contacting with the endpf the magnet so that freezing of the armature on to the magnet is prevented.

The contact to energize the magnet need be only a momentary contact so that although the vibrator is very sensitive a single engagement with the contact 58 will energize the magnet to shift the armature 41 to the left and close switch 52, 56 to sound the horn. Such contact 58 may be adjusted vertically in either direction so as to make the device more sensitive or less sensitive as desired. It will be understood that if the screw 51 is adjusted upwardly, it will be easier or require less of a vibration for the weighted end of the vibrator 24 to engage the contact 58 while, if the screw is adjusted downwardly, the vibrator will have to move through a greater are and a greater vibration of the weighted end will be required to bring such end into engagement with the contact.

When the armature is attracted by the magnet as above explained, the spring 53 will cause the contact 56 to be moved into engagement with the contact 52 of switch 49 to complete a circuit through the horn 66 and the latter will be sounded. The circuit will be from the battery to the horn through wire 61 and thence from the horn through wire 13 to binding post 65 to contact 52 and from the latter to contact 56 which is not insulated from the casing and is therefore grounded with the casing. This will cause the horn 68 to be sounded.

By adjusting the nut 43 the rapidity with which the spring 48 may return the parts to normal positions is controlled. The more the openings 44 are restricted by tightening the nut and holding the leather washer 4| more tightly to restrict the entrance of air into the cylinder, the more difiicult and slow will be the task of the spring 48 in moving the piston and piston 'rod toward-the inner end of the cylinder. Immediately the armature is moved by the magnet, the contact 56 engages contact 52 completing the circuit through the horn and the sounding of the horn is not stopped or interrupted until the spring 48 returns the parts to a position where the outer end of the piston rod engages the arm 55 and shifts the same to carry the contact 56 out of engagement with the contact 52. The nut 43 may thus be adjusted to cause the horn to sound ten seconds, one-half minute or other interval as desired.

To prevent the chattering noise that might result from the vibrator engaging the contact 58 an authorized person may rock the shaft 28 into the dotted line position of Figs. 1 and 2 when using the automobile so as to hold thevibrator against the pad 26. To set the device for the sounding of a horn should the automobile be tampered with by an unauthorized person, it is but necessary to rock shaft 28 to release the vibrator.

When this has been done, on the automobile being disturbed, the circuit will be closed through the electro-magnet and the armature, piston and piston rod will be shifted by said magnet with the result that the arm 55 will be free to move and bring'the contact 56 into engagement with the contact 52 to sound the horn 66. As above explained, the circuit to the horn remains closed during the slow return movement of the piston and armature under the influence of spring 48. The bolt mounting the switch 49 on the wall I! of the casing passes through a slot 11 in the wall of said casing so that on loosening of the bolt the switch 49 may be adjusted toward or from the magnet to determine at what point in its return movement the piston rod will engage the arm 55 to open the switch 49 and thus the switch may be located to give the proper spacing of the contacts.

As above suggested, the device may be used in homes or garages or the like, and it will be understood that other signaling means either of the audible or visible type may be substituted for the horn 66. It will also be clear that the present means embodies but a relatively few parts and that the parts are so arranged as to form a very compact unit occupying but a small space. The casing l0 contains or mounts practically all of the parts and may in itself be easily and quickly mounted on the desired part of the automobile or the like. The switch 15 is concealed so that its location is known only to authorized persons.

Having. thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a control device, a casing of electrical conducting material, switch means including a stafrom said casing-and adapted to be connected with a source of electrical energy, an electro-magnet in said casing, conductors for connecting the coil of said magnet with the binding post and said source of current, a cylinder within the coil of said magnet, a piston in said cylinder, 9, rod on said piston and extending through one end of the cylinder, means associated, with the cylinder permitting free exit of air from the cylinder to permit free movement of the piston inwardly and restricting passage of air into the cylinder to cause retarded movement of the piston in the other direction, an armature on the outer end of said rod, said rod normally holding the movable contact of said switch out of engagement with the stationary contact thereof, and spring means for holding said rod in norma1 position and returning it thereto when moved therefrom whereby when a circuit is completed through the coil of said electromagnet the armature will beattracted and move the piston and piston rod to permit the switch to close as the piston is drawn into the cylinder and remain closed until the spring means returns the armature and piston and rod to normal position shifting the movable contact away from the stationary contact thereof. v

2. In an alarm control means, a casing, an

electro-magnet in said casing, a cylinder in the coil of said magnet, a piston in said cylinder, a rod on said piston and projecting through the 'inner end of the cylinder, anarmature on the piston rod, a coil spring about the piston rod between the inner end of the cylinder and the armature, a switch including a. pair of contacts of which one normally tends to engage the other, said piston rod normally acting to prevent closing of said switch and operable to open the switch on returning to normal position after having been moved from such position, and means controlling exit and entrance of air to said cylinder arranged to permit free movement of the piston to close the switch and retard flow of air into the cylinder to retard movement of the piston in the direction to open the switch.

3. In an alarm control means, a casing, an electro-magnet in said casing, a cylinder in the coil of said magnet and at its outer end extending through a wall of the casing, an air opening in the outer end of the cylinder, means adjustable from the exterior of the casing and controlling the capacity of said opening, means arranged to permit free exit of air from the cylinder and restrict flow of air into the cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a rod on said piston and projecting into the casing, an armature on the rod within the casing, spring means for returning the piston and piston rod and armature to normal position when the piston is drawn inwardly of the cylinder, and a switch, said piston rod normally acting to prevent closing of said switch and operable to open the switch on returning to normal position after having been moved therefrom. 

